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Additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das of the Sealdah court on Saturday declared Sanjay Roy guilty of rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the Kolkata hospital on August 9 last year. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and strangling her under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The judge said the over 160-page judgment, which will be completed after the pronouncement of the sentence today, will also categorically answer some questions raised by the complainant, the father of the victim.
The judge said Sanjay Roy's statement will be heard at 12.30 pm today, and the sentence will be given after that.
Section 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim) provides for punishment of not less than 20 years that may extend to imprisonment for life, which would mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person's natural life, or with death.
Section 103(1) (murder) of BNS provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for life. Section 64 (rape) of the BNS ensures jail term of not less than 10 years and can go up to life term.
The crime had led to nationwide outrage and prolonged protests. Sanjay Roy is a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police.
He was arrested on August 10, 2024, a day after the 31-year-old trainee doctor's body was found in the seminar room of the hospital.
The judge, Anirban Das, said he has in the judgement criticised some activities of the police and the hospital authorities. The investigation was transferred from the Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Calcutta High Court.
When the verdict of guilty came, Sanjay Roy alleged he had been framed. The parents of the doctor who was raped and murdered expressed gratitude to the court for delivering justice.
Sanjay Roy's family said they will not challenge the conviction. "We apologise to the members of the victim's family. The law has found my brother guilty and he will be punished accordingly. I have nothing else to say. The administration will do what is right. What we desire really does not matter," his elder sister said.